A mural celebrates the ‘everydayness’ of queer life

JJust outside Anna University’s Kotturpuram gate is a freshly-painted mural that is impossible to miss. On the face of it, the artwork bursts with colours, faces, and some familiar scenes of Chennai. But at its heart, it speaks, perhaps louder than words, about the city’s queer community and the ‘everydayness’ of their lives.

This mural on Tamil queer identity, possibly the first public art installation of its kind in the city, was commissioned by Avtar Foundation of Arts in collaboration with the office of South Chennai MP Thamizhachi Thangapandian. The artwork, made over a span of five days by artists of Aravani Art Project and Anonymous Art Collective, as well as several volunteers from the queer community, was unveiled by the MP on Friday.